The
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says its Presidential flagbearer, President
Goodluck Jonathan will beat the APC candidate, retired Major General Muhammadu
Buhari, fair and square in the north, come February 14, 2015.
The party
also said with President Jonathan’s soaring popularity among the voting
population across the country, it would win more than two-third of the total
votes cast as well as the required 25 percent in all the states of the
federation.
PDP
National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement, Saturday, said
President Jonathan will beat Buhari in the north, not only because the PDP
controls 12 out of the 19 states of the region, but also because the citizens
are pleased with the numerous development projects he executed in the region.
The party
said the various projects and appointments in the north have placed President
Jonathan ahead of Buhari especially following the fact that the APC presidential
candidate never executed any in the region when he was head of state and has so
far failed to articulate an acceptable blue-print for development.
“Indeed,
Nigerians in the north are eager to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan come
February 14, 2015. Voters in the region appreciate the direct positive impact
of the numerous development projects executed by the Jonathan administration in
all sectors of life.
“They
appreciate the fact that recognizing that agriculture is the mainstay of the
northern economy, President Jonathan ensured that out of the 2.7 million direct
farm jobs achieved by his administration, over 2 million are in the north.
“They
appreciate the fact that President Jonathan established the e-wallet system,
which eliminated the corruption in the distribution of fertilizer and other
farmputs, making the products directly accessible to millions of farmers in the
region thereby boosting their productivity. They appreciate the fact that silos
are brimming and food pyramids are returning in the north.
“In
education, President Jonathan’s imprint in the north remains indelible. Today,
the once relegated Almajiri boys can now go to school following the
establishment of the Almajiri System of Education, the first of its kind, with
over 150 special schools already built, while others are nearing completion, a
noble idea, General Buhari never thought of when he was head of state.
“Also,
out of the 14 new universities established by President Jonathan, 9 are located
in the northern states thereby ensuring that all states of the region have a
federal university. This is in addition to the establishment of new secondary
schools and training of teachers for quality education in the region.
“Furthermore
our citizens in the north are happy with President Jonathan for his efforts in
tackling desertification in the region especially with the establish of more
than 80 km of 15–row Green Belt in addition to the Presidential Initiative on
Afforestation in Kano and 10 other Northern States”.
The party
also recalled the increased attention to the health need of the area especially
the interventions towards polio eradication and treatment of VVF among others.
Noting
that President Jonathan has indeed repositioned the region for prosperity, the
party pointed out that the north stands to benefit immensely from the
revitalization of the railways, especially the rehabilitation of the
Minna-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano narrow gauge, the
Markurdi-Lafia-Kuru-Bauchi-Gombe-Ashaka-Maiduguri line and the branch line from
Kafanchan to Kaduna, which are expected to increase productivity in the region.
The party
also noted that roads in the region have received serious attention under
Jonathan citing the decades-long intractable Kano-Maiduguri highway, the
longest stretch in the country, which is now being successfully tackled in
addition to the Abuja-Lokoja road, which is now a delight for road travellers.
Noting
that there are hundreds of such gigantic road projects going on in the region,
the PDP said that the dredging of the River Niger from Lokoja to Baro in Niger
State have also contributed in placing the north on a sure path to economic
prosperity.
It also
cited the acceleration of work on the Geregu power station, the 700MW Zungeru
Hydro-Power, the 3,050MW Mambilla Hydro-Power among others in addition to
various dam projects including the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam, which is being
built to contain flood from Lake Nyos in Cameroon.
The PDP
insisted that Nigerians in the north are mindful of the fact that their
collective interest and aspiration are better protected under Jonathan hence
the support and eagerness to re-elect him come February 14.
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